03.28.2006

Design

Usability for Geezers

Tips on improving usability for web users aged 60+. Improve Usability for Older Users [Usability and Information Architecture].

Other things to remember: There a higher likelihood that an older user is on dialup. Keep things lean and fast-loading. The sparer, the better.

Provide simple, high-contrast layers of information for ease of readability. Consider including alternate screen styles that not only offer larger fonts but also high-contrast, non-vibrating color combinations such as a simple black text on a white background. Forego the subtler grays and certainly avoid vibrating colors. Test for contrast by switching your screen to greyscale.

Avoid applications that require plugin installations. Don't assume that they have the latest plugins installed on their machines. More often than not, they also have older machines that run on older operating systems or prefer to use older versions simply because they don't want to have to re-learn their way around the computer or app.

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